Bedpan



K. J. WHELAN May 30, 1961 BEDPAN Filed Nov. 21, 1957 I /g INVENTOR. 1mm/NAZ WHA/.4N

Ptented BEDPAN Katherine J. Whelan, 9651/2 S. Harvard Blvd., Los Angeles 6, Calif.

Filed Nov. 21, 1957, Ser. No. 697,942

1 Claim. (Cl. 4-113) This invention relates generally to hospital and sick room supplies, and more particularly to an improved type of bedpan.

For many years bedpans have been used in the care of bed patients who, for one reason or another, are not able to move or be moved to the bathroom. Previously, the bedpans in common use have consisted of a shallow oval pan having an inwardly extending lip on which the hips and legs of the patient are placed. The patient must be on his back to use the pan, and when the patient must be left in this position for a considerable period of time, the pan is very uncomfortable.

Many patients, particularly those who are elderly and those who are in nursing homes, are unable to remain on their backs for any considerable period of time, and many patients are unable to move their limbs at all. Consequently, such patients cannot satisfactorily use the common bedpan, which requires that the patient remain on his back. While various makeshift arrangements have been tried, no satisfactory solution has heretofore been presented, and the problem has remained a serious one.

' lt is a major object of the present invention to provvidean improved bedpan or similar article that is much more" comfortable for the patient, and hence both physically and psychologically aids in the care and recovery of patients.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a bedpan that is particularly adapted for use by patients who cannot or should not remain on their backs while using a bedpan, though it will be appreciated that the pan can be used by a patient lying on his back.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a bedpan that can be formed of any suitable material to provide a sanitary and easily sterilized utensil for the hospital or sick room. Still another object of the invention is to provide such a bedpan or similar article that is especially adapted to receive a cushion or pad that supports the major portion of the weight of the patient, thereby improving the physical -and mental well-being of the patient.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved bedpan or the like and cushioning attachments therefor that can be inexpensively made, readily used by the patient and the attending nurse, and solves existing problems without adding new ones.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form thereof, and from the drawings illustrating that form in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved bedpan -in use by a patient, the patient being shown on his side,

and the use of the cushion or pad being indicated;

Figure 2 is essentially a top plan view of the improved bedpan, but taken slightly to one side, with a fragmentary showing of the attached` cushion or pad;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken from the line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing the bedpan, a portion of the 'cushion or pad, and with the buttocks of the patient, indicated in phantom outline, as they would appear during the use of the bedpan;

Figure 4 is a top plan view showing the bedpan and cushion in use by a patient;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the improved bedpan with a modified form of cushion applied thereto;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 5 and showing the attachment of the modified cushion to the ends of wings of the bedpan;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective View of the modified cushion shown in Figures 5 and 6; and

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 5 and showing the method of attaching the modified form of cushion tothe lip of the bedpan.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, the improved bedpan 10 will be seen to have a generally crescent shape with blunted points at the ends of wings 11 and 12. The top of the pan 1t) is open, and a generally upright rear wall 13 extends around the convex side of the pan from one wing 11 to the other wing 12. A somewhat similar wall 14, preferably sloping, forms the concave side of the pan 1li and likewise extends from the wing 11 to the wing 12. A bottom 15 joins the walls 13 and 14, and the crescent-shaped pan 1li thus provided is proportioned to fit beneath the buttocks of a patient, with one wing, such as the wing 12, near the back of the patient and beneath the hip, while the other wing 11 is beneath the thigh. The curved opening of the pan 10 thus conforms generally to the rounded portion of the buttocks when the patient has his knees drawn up, as indicated in Figure l, and a more comfortable position is assured for the patient.

The rear or convex wall 13 of the pan 10 is higher than the front or concave wall 14, and the entire pan is so shaped, as indicated in Figure 3, that the upper surface of the pan slopes downwardly from the center of the rear wall 13 to the ends of the wings 11 and 12. In this way, the buttocks of the patient may be considered as resting upon a Wedge, rather than upon a step, as is the condition met with customary bedpans heretofore used. This wedge shape is also important when the bedpan 10 is ,used with a patient lying on his back, instead of on his side, as will hereinafter be explained` The greater Vheight of the rear wall 13 has an additional important practical value in that it helps to prevent soiling of the bed linen. It will be appreciated that in the voiding of urine or other excretions, the matterwill normally be ejected with a certain amount of force,

which would sometimes carry it beyond the edge of the bedpan 10, and in any event will often cause splashing of the material in theV pan. The extra height of the rear wall 13 prevents the ejection of material over the edge of the panltl, and additionally prevents material from being splashed over the edge, onto the bedding:

The forward ends of the wings 11 and 12 are intended to t beneath the hip and thigh of the patient, and consequently for sanitary reasons, as well as for the comfort of the patient, these ends may be closed at the top so that the top opening of the bed pan 10, formed bythe rear wall 13 and the front wall 14, extends around most, but not all of the bedpan. If desired for sanitary or other reasons, the closed or coveredforward ends ofthe wings 11 and 12 may be shut olf from the remainder of the 3 with the bottom 1S are suliciently rounded, the partition 16 and similar members will not be necessary. However, it should be kept in mind that the thickness of the wings 11 and 12 should be such that they may be slipped under the patient easily, so that the general effect of a wedge, rather than a step is provided.

The upper edge of the rear wall 13 is preferably turned slightly forwardly to provide an inwardly or forwardly extending lip 17 extending along the rear of the bedpan except in the center thereof. In the center of the pan, the lip 17 is omitted, and if desired, a rearwardly projecting lip or bend may be provided so that a spout or pouring lip l is formed for the ready emptying of the pan.

Preferably, the pan 10 is symmetrical in shape, as indicated, though it is possible to vary the shape and change or destroy the symmetry if desired. Thus, under certain conditions it may be desirable to make one of the wings 11 or 12 longer than the other, which is clearly within the contemplation of this invention. However, one of the advantages of the herein described bedpan is that it may be used wtih equal facility whether the patient is lying on his left or right side. Furthermore, because of the sloping upper surface, giving the pan 10 its general wedge configuration, a patient lying upon his back may use the pan with equal facility, and with greater comfort than is provided with previous pans. When used in this position, the wings 11 and 12 are placed under the respective buttocks of the patient, and the legs, which are slightly flexed, extend over the rear wall 13, on either side of the spout or pouring lip 18.

As previously mentioned, a cushion or pad is provided that is attached to the bedpan 10 to provide much greater comfort for the patient, and to aid in keeping the bedding clean. The pad, indicated generally by the numeral 20, is preferably of a resilient material such as a polyester foam. For sanitary reasons, the cushion 20 should have a smooth impervious surface, so that moisture will not be absorbed by the cushion, and the thickness and firmness or density of the cushion should be such as to provide a comfortable support for the body without excessive thickness. One end of the cushion, which may be designated as the lower end, since it is near the lower end of the body, is shaped to conform to the front or concave wall 14 of the pan 10, and extends over this wall, and at its end is provided with a lip portion 21 that engages the upper edge of the wall 14. Laterally, the lower edge of the cushion 20 follows the shape of the front wall 14, 'and at the ends of the opening, extends laterally outward over the wings 11 and 12. T o provide the desired smoothness and comfort, the pad 20 is preferably molded so that the curvature of the forward wall 14 of the bedpan 10 does not cause Wrinkling of the lower end of the cushion. By molding the cushion 20, it is also a relatively simple matter to mold the lip 21 to the desired shape, while securing the desired consistency, so that rm anchoring of the cushion 20 to the pan 10 is provided.

` 'I'he opposite or upper end of the cushion 20 is located near the waist of the patient, and the weight of the patient upon the cushion 20 holds the cushion in place, and the cushion in turn, by means of the lip 21, aids in holding the pan 10 in the desired location.

While not essential, it has been found most helpful to provide the cushion 20 with an aperture 22 located between the wings 11 and 12 and shaped and positioned to receive the hip bone of the patient. Elderly patients, and particularly immobile ones for whom the pan 10 is especially adapted, are generally thin, with little flesh to cushion the bony structure. Even patients with more esh, including fat persons, find that lying upon one side for any period of time causes a soreness adjacent the hip bone. Consequently, the aperture 22 will be found of lgreat value to patients, since the aperture acts to relieve `the pressure surrounding the hip bone, while still provid- 4 ing sufficient support for the body. A plan view indicating the position of the patient and the placement of the pan 10 and cushion 20 is sh`own in Figure 4. It will be appreciated that the cushion or pad 20, by connecting to the lip of the forward wall 14 and extending upwardly along the patients body, aids in keeping the bedding and linen clean, in addition to assisting in anchoring the bedpan 10 and making the patient more comfortable.

In some instances, it may be unnecessary or undesirable to use the large cushion or pad 20 that extends under the patients body, and instead a much smaller pad may be used that is fitted to the pan 10 to form in effect, a part of the pan. An example of such a pad is indicated in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8, where it is seen that the pan 1l) has the ends of its wings 11 and 12 covered with a cushion member 24. Thus, the upper surface of the wing 11 is covered with a pad 25 and the wing 12 is covered with a pad 26. Since it is not necessary that the bottom of the wings 11 and 12 be covered by the pads 25 and 26, these pads are preferably made, as indicated in Figure 6, with side portions that extend downwardly and terminate in anges 28 that may be snapped around the wings to engage the bottoms thereof, and hold the pads in place. A center web section 30 extends from the pad 2S to the opposite pad 26 along the forward wall 14 of the pan 1t), and the web 30 is provided with a lip or ange 31 that engages the top of the forward wall, much as the lip 21 of the larger pad 20 does.

The wing pad or cushion 24, including the pads 2S and 26 and web 30, is preferably formed of a resilient material similar to that used for the larger pad 20. The primary function, of course, of the wing pad 24 is to provide greater comfort for the patient, who is thus not forced to rest his weight upon a hard unyielding surface, nor a cold one. In this connection, it should be realized that one serious problem encountered in the use of the previously available bedpans has been the shock and dis comfort of the patient in contacting the cold surface of the pan. Emotional and psychological problems frequently arise from this, thus further complicating the use of the previous pans.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided an improved bedpan and pads and cushions for use therewith that are fully capable of achieving the objects and. securing the advantages heretofore set forth. While a preferred form of the pan and a preferred and optional form of pad have been shown, it is to be understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from the broad concept of the invention. Consequently, the invention is not to be limited to the particular form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown, except as limited by the following claim.

I claim:

A resilient pad for a generally crescent-shaped bedpan of the class described which includes: a resilient cushion member adapted to extend across the wall of said bedpan adjacent the patient, said member being shaped to conform to said front Wall and extending across the top of said wall, said member having means for removably attaching said member to the top of said wall, whereby said member is retained in position; and resilient cushion means connected to said member and adapted to extend laterally outward across the tips of said bedpan, and to extend away from said front wall, under the patient to cushion the body of the latter, said means having an aperture therein to receive the hip bone area of the patient.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 780,987 Gorham lan. 31, 1905 1,061,769 Meinecke May 13, 1913 2,224,353 Laufenburg Dec. l0, 1940 2,747,199 Flexman et al May 29, `1956 

